Floating sinker



J. W. BOND.

FLOATING SINKER.

APPLICATION FILED-JULY B, 1921.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

mafia JUHN- urn/$7.

UNITED STATES PAT sNr OFFICE.

FLOATING SINKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. *7, 1922.

Application filed July 8, 1921. Serial No. 483,348,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN lVILLiAM Born). a subject of the King of Great Britain. and resident of the city of Victoria, in the Province of British Columbia and Dominion of Canada, have invented. certain new and use ful Improvements in Floating Sinkers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in floating sinkers, and has for its objects to provide a sinker that will sink to a predetermined depth in the water and will rise on the surface as soon as a tension is applied against the same.

Further objects are to provide a floating sinker designed to be attached at one end to a boat and be fastened at the other end to the trolling, spoon, or other device commonly used for the purpose.

These objects are attained. by providing adevice which consists of a shank extending through the centre of adisc having metal covered segments and which is adapted through suitable mechanism to assume a horizontal position or a vertical position when the same is designed to sink to a predetermined depth in the water.

Further objects still are to provide a device of simple construction and notliable to go out of repair, and generally to adapt the several parts to perform the functions required of them.

It consists essentially of the improved construction hereinafter described in detail in the accompanying specification and drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1' is a side elevation of the improved flo'ating sinker.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken through part of the shank and sleeve.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken through the centre of the disc.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the resilient member designed to coact with the sleeve.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the trigger.

' Flg. 6 is a section on theshank showing the disc in rear elevation.

Referring to the drawings:

A designates the improved floating sinker comprising a shank 10 having a bent portion intermediate of the length thereof as shown at 11. This bent portion is provided with a small bearing 12 welded thereto and designed to be engaged by a pin 13 extending transversely of the disc 14 mounted on the shank 1.0 and provided. adjacent to the centre orifice 15 with two lugs 16 and 17 through which the pin 13 extends. The lug 17 may be provided with an additional orifice 18 through which the pin 13 may extend, in order to give an angular position to the disc 14.

The shank 10 is also provided with a collar 19 slidably mounted thereon and having a set screw 20. the end of which is designed to engage with one of a series of recesses 21 provided on the lower face of the shank 10 in order to'secure the collar 13 thereon. Slidably mounted on the shank i0 is a sleeve 22 formed with two lugs 23 and 24 extending adjacent to each end of the sleeve 22 on the top face thereof. The sleeve 22 is also formedwith a bridge 25 integral therewith and through which extends the resilient member 26 having an end curved downwardly and engaging the lug 23 while the end remote to the curved end bears against the lug 24 and has a bifurcated extension 2'? curved upwardly, the

purpose of which will be hereinafter made clear.

The sleeve 22 is provided at each end thereof with pairs of apertured cars 28 and 29. The ears 29 carry a pin 30 on which is fulcrumed at 80 a trigger 31 formed with a lug 82 and provided with a transversely extending pin 33 against which the bifurcated end 27 of the resilient member 26 is adapted to hear.

The trigger 31. is provided with a plurality of openings 34, one of which is engaged by a pin carried by a U-shaped member 35 to which is fastened a string or other flexible member 36 extending through an apertured lug 37 formed integral with an enlarged portion 38 formed on the end of the shank 10. The trigger 3]. is also apertured adjacent to its fulcrum 30 at 39 and the said aperture is engaged by a pin carried by a U-shaped member 39 which carries fastened thereto the end of a string or other flexible gaging the eyes '42 provided on theflunden I face of the said shank.

The flexible member 40 engages the offset apertured end 43 of the shank 10 and is looped its outer end as shown at The mgs.

apertured ears against the resil ient member 26 and forces the same downwardly across the lugs and 24, thus forcing the bifurcated end 27 more firmly against the pin 33 thereby holding the trigger 31 securely in th upward position. I e

V The shank 10 is provided on the top thereofwith a plurality of recesses 41-8 which are designed to be engaged by the lug provided on the trigger 31 when the same is rotated on its fulcrum to assume. an upward position as shown in Figure 2 of the draw- The collar 19, previously described slidably, carried by the shank 10. may be formed with a guide member 49 which would be used for the same purpose as the.

guide member e2 designed to engage the flexible member 40 extending theretlirough hen this floating sinker is in use. the string or flexible member 4:0 is fastened through its looped end Mr to the rear end of the boat while the looped end of the flexible member 86 is connected to the trolling spoon. The sleeve 22 is then. moved along the shank .10 until the disc 1st connected thereto through the lever 45 will have assumed the desired inclination, when the'trigger 31 will be raised. in order that the lug 32 provided thereon may be caused to engage with one of the recesses 48 pro vided on the top of the shank 10.

'It will be obvious that, when a certain inclination ofthe disc has been tested and proved to give the desired results, the collar 19 may be adjusted on the shank 10 by means of the setscrew 20. vi heii the desired. inclinationof the disc 1% has been obtained, the sleeve22 will merely have'to he slid and brought to bear against the collar lllwhen the trigger 31.may he raised in position.

The disc in this raised position, as shown in Figure 1, will sink to a predetermined I depth in the water and will only be raised whena fish will have-caught the trolling spoonand Wlll exert pull against the flexible member 36 which transmitting the pull. to

the upward end of the trigger 31, will cause the trigger 31 to pivot on its fulcrum, 30. thus'causingthe lug 32 to be disengaged f from thejrecess lS, when the sleeve being free. will move to-theouter on d of theshank "10, thus bringing ithe' disc 14.; to approxi- "mately a horizontal position. when the same Will .rise to. the urface? of the water and float thereon. thus proving the presencegof afishontheendofithe troll.

.Itwill alsocjhe obvious throughthenmember lO engaging with the roller 4:21 and i ,he do,

extending along the shank 10 when.

1 ,eoaeav 'cumst-ances, would result in parting of the line if no provision had been made to take care of the abnormal strain. Further by means of the set screw 41?, this may be adjusted, in order to adjust the degree of tension of the trigger 31. The disc 14 may be depressed and thrown out of action by a quick pull being applied to the string 10.

iVl'ien two of these sinkers are used, the pins 13 are caused to engage with the orifices 18 provided on the lug 16 of the disc so as to give an angular position to the said disc, in order thatthe same may not always be one against the other but may be adapted. to travel but at a predetermined distance from one another. The disc 1 may be reinforced on the lower end thereofby means of a segmental metal sleeve 51 designed to fit over the lower end of the disc 14. as clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

The force necessary to throw the tri 81 out of engageiiient may be varied also by the-adjustment of the U-shaped member 35 along the apertured shank thereof as it will be seen that when the member 35 engages with one of the lower openings 34, a stronger pull will be necessary on the string 36 in order to throw the trigger 31 down against the shank 10. lVhen the device increased in dimensions, the metal parts of the same a will also have to be increased, particularly the shank 10, asthe same is subjected to the greatest strain its many changes could be made in the above construction. and many apparently widely different embodiments of my inven tion within the scope of the clai'nis constructed without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended thatall .matter contained viii-the accompanying specifi cation and drawings shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

e What I claim as my invention is:

1. A floating sinker of-the class described comprising a shank, adisc having an aper-.

ture'in-its 'centre and pivotally mounted on the shank, means slidably'mounted on the shank designed to actuate the disc on its means to secure the disc in a predetermined position. V

2. A floating sinker of the class described comprising a shank, a disc having an aperture in its centre and pivotally mounted on th'eshanlna sleeve-slidably mounted onthe shank-,sm'eans enacting with the sleeve to secure the disc on theshankin a predeterinined position, and "flexible members connected toIthe' last. said means as and for the purpose-specified; H p r y A floating si her) of the class. described comprising a shank ofiset intermediate of pivot, and means coacting with the last said 7 the length thereof, adisc pivotally mounted on the offset of the shank, a sleeve slidably mounted on the shank a connecting link hetween the sleeve and the disc, means pivotally mounted on the sleeve to secure the sleeve in a predetermined position, and flexible members connected to the said means designed to actuate the same.

4-. A floating sinker of the class described comprising a shank offset intermediate of the length thereof, a disc pivotally mounted on the offset of the shank, a sleeve slidably mounted on the shank, a connecting link between the sleeve and the disc, a trigger pivotally mounted on the sleeve and provided with a plurality of orifices, resilient means coacting with the trigger, and flexible members connected to the trigger to disengage the same as and for the purpose specified.

5. The floating sinker claimed in claim 4:,

in which the shank is provided with a plurality of recesses, and a projection on the trigger designed to engage one of the recesses when the trigger assumes an upright position, as and for the purpose specified. 6. The floating sinker claimed in claim 4, in which the resilient means consists of a leaf spring having a bifurcated upwardly curved end designed to bear against pins provided on the trigger.

7. A floating sinker of the class described comprising a shank oflset intermediate of the length thereof, a disc pivotally mounted on the offset of the shank, a sleeve slidably mounted on the shank and formed integral with a bridge member, a connecting link between the sleeve and the disc, a trigger pivotally mounted on the sleeve and provided with a plurality of orifices, a leaf spring on the sleeve extending through the bridge and engaging the trigger, means on the bridge member to vary the pressure of the spring, the trigger being formed with a projection designed to engage with a recess provided on the shank when positioned vertically to secure the sleeve on the shank, and flexible members connected to the trigger.

8. The floating sinker claimed in claim 7 in which the shank is formed with an enlarged end provided with a roller designed to engage one of the flexible members, and a plurality of guides on the shank to engage the said members.

9. The floating sinker claimed in claim 7 in which the disk is partly engaged by a segmental metal cover.

10. The floating sinker claimed in claim 7 in which the shank is provided with an adjustable collar against which the sleeve is designed to bear.

11. The floating sinker claimed in claim 7, in which the shank is formed with a sleeve on the offset thereof, apertured lugs on the disc, a pin designed to engage the lugs and the sleeve, and means to vary the angular position of the pivot of the disc.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN WILLIAM BOND.

Witnesses:

FRED DODSWORTH, .JACK JOHNSTON. 

